Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Pigs At The Public Trough: So Much Pork Even The Dept. of Agriculture is Against The $300B Farm Bill

Imagine if Michigan's struggling Big Three automakers suddenly struck this deal with Congress: The U.S. government would buy the Motor City's cars for roughly twice the world market price, then resell them at about an 80% loss.

This boondoggle of a deal would spur worldwide protest, and rightfully so. But the five-year, $307 billion farm bill is equally ludicrous. President George W. Bush is expected to veto it within days, but no matter. Congress appears to have the votes lined up to override.Everyone from taxpayer watchdog groups to foreign presidents have rallied to stop its passing. Even the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for providing a safety net for American farmers, is denouncing it. So why are both Democrats and Republicans supporting this absurdity? Plain and simple: they are acting like pigs at the taxpayer trough.